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Jan. 13, 1953 F. W.-SCHMITZ 2,624,925

VAPORIZER AND CHARGE THEREFOR Filed July 25, 1947 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 :8 21.2; la L2 a4 INVENTOR. Frederick W. S chmz'f JMT Jan. 13, 3953 w, SCHMITZ I 2,624,925

VAPORIZER AND CHARGE THEREFOR Filed July 25, 1947 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 57 I 0 4 58 i c: 67

' INVENTOR. Frederick W-Sckm 1 Patented Jan. 13, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE- 2,624,925 VAPORIZER AND CHARGE THEREFOR Frederick W. Schmitz, Irvington, N. Y. Application July 25, 1947,. Serial No. 763,658

2 Claims. (01. 21-119) This invention relates to Vaporizers, more particularly to a device for vaporizing air sterilizing materials, such as glycols. In another aspect, the invention relates to a charge for such Vaporizers including an absorbent carrier impregnated with a material to be vaporized and free from unabsorbed vaporizable material.

An object of the invention is to provide a vaporizer whereby precise control of vapor out-- put may be achieved.

Another object is to provide a vaporizer wherein there is an intimate contact between the heating medium and the charge of vaporizable material whereby vaporization is carried out at relatively low temperatures and with a maximum of heat efliciency. Where materials such as glycols are vaporized, the relatively high temperature at which vaporization is carried out is deleterious to the glycol if long continued, asin' conventional Vaporizers, causing; undesirabledecomposition of the glycol. In the apparatus of the present invention, the main body" of the charge is kept out of the heating zone and at room' temperature, thus preventing undesired decomposition.

Another object is to provide a vaporizer in which, due to the small amount of charge in the heating zone at any one time, there" is aquick response to starting up and shutting down the vaporizer and also a quick response toadjustment.

Still another object is to provide" a vaporizer free from liquid sumps or containers" that accumulate dirt, odoriferous material and organic matter and require frequent clean-outs. In the device of the invention, thereis no liquid to spill or leak.

Yet another object is to provide a vaporizer capable of vaporizing a widevariety of liquid or solid vaporizable materials such as"tri'-ethylene glycol, propyleneglycol, or other glycols for air sterilization, materials for masking odors, disinfectants, medicants, perfumes, or the like, either singly or in combination.

Another object is to provide a va'por'izer' that is simple and economical to construct and operate, that lends itself" toready control of output, that may be built in varioussi'zes; and that has a minimum of parts in actual contact: with the vaporizable material whereby corrosion problems-are minimized;

A still further obj ectis to provide 'a' charge for a vaporizer; comprising a sheet or 'web. of absorbent material impregnated with vaporizable substance and free,. or substantially. free,.froin unabsorbed vaporizable substance. The sheet may be packed a numberor' convenient ways; it may be packed flat, rolled, in zig-zag compact form, or in any other suitable manner. The web may be made of various materials such as paper, cloth, or the like in various sizes'an'd degrees of absorption. The impregnated web or sheet is convenient to handle and ship and contains no excess of absorbed vaporizablematerial to create a liquid hazard. g 7

Another object is toprovide a t/ aporizer charge in sheet form made frommaterial that may be economically discarded after use i In a typical embodimentthe invention-takes the form of a vaporizer comprising means providing a localized heating zone, means for heating said zone, said zone preferablybeing' open to the atmosphere, a charge comprising a sheetof absorbent material impregnated with" a'vapor-izable substance and free from unabsorbed vaporizable substance, and means for passing said impregnated sheet through said heating zone; The heating zone may take theform of-aheat'ed roll, in which case, mechanismis providedfor 'passing the impregnated sheet over the 'he'ate'd roll at the desired rate. The heated zone mayaIsb-take the form of a heated conduit through'whichthe impregnated sheet is passed, the vapor's produced in the conduit being circulated to the'atmosphere to be'treated. Or, as will occur to those" skilled in the art in the light of the' present di'sclosur'e, the heating zone may take other advantageous arrangements such, for example, as a stationary heated surface over which the impregnated web is passed.

The charge of the invention may-"compr is'e' a sheet of absorbent material impregnated with a vaporizable substance and free from unabsorbed vaporizable substance. The term free from unabsorbed vaporizable substance denotes that the vaporizable substance is substantially uniformly distributed throughout" the bibulous material oi the sheet and is heldtherein" without any substantialdraina'ge'of theabsorb'ed substance therefrom.

In a modification particularly advantageous for air sterilization, the chargeor' supply pack is in the form of a roll of absorbentpap'e'r' pregnated with glycol and" free from unabsorbed lycol. The term glycol isusedflherein in the generic sense to include" tri-ethylene glycol, propylene glycol,. and other-glycols having" aba'ctericidal or sterilizing effect when vaporizedin small amounts "into air. Preferably the'="glycol is diluted with an anioun't 'offw'ater sucli'thatthe vapor pressure of the glycol=water composition is substantially in equilibrium with normal humidity conditions; for example, about to of water in the case of tri-ethylene glycol.

The invention will be more particularly described and others of its aims, objects, and advantages will be in part pointed out in the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a plan view, the cover being removed and parts being broken away, of one form of vaporizer in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of the vaporizer shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along the plane of the line 33 of Fig. 1, the cover of the machine being shown;

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view of a modified form of vaporizer taken along the plane of the line 4-4 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the vaporizer of Fig. 4 taken along the plane of the line 5-5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken along the plane of the line 66 of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic view of a still further modified form of the invention.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1, 2, and 3 of the drawings, the vaporizer shown is of a portable type and has a base l0 and a pair of spaced, parallel, upstanding bearing plates II and I2. A pair of vertical bearing brackets 13 and 14 are attached to the plates II and I2 respectively and extend vertically upwardly therefrom.

A hollow cylindrical metal roll 15 is journaled in the bearing brackets i 3 and M and has a driving shaft i6 extending forwardly through the bracket 3, a sprocket i'l being carried by the driving shaft IS. The bracket 14 supports an electric heating device i8 that extends within the metal roll I5. roll may be raised to a suitable operating value by the heater [8 which is provided with a rheostat or other known device (not shown) for varying the current supplied. Brackets I3 and M also carrying the idling rolls I9 and which are rotatably mounted in the positions shown and are coextrusive laterally with the heated roll [5.

At the lower left side of the bearing plates H and i2 there is journaled a transverse friction roll 2| preferably formed of a medium soft rubher or other resilient composition bonded to a shaft 22 projecting forwardly through the plate H and provided with a sprocket 23. The function of the friction roll will appear more clearly hereinafter.

Driving power is supplied by an electric motor 24 supported on a standard 25 secured to the base It). The motor is connected by a shaft 26 to a conventional variable speed gear reducer 21, the output shaft of which drives a cross-shaft 28 through a worm-and-wheel gearing 23. The cross-shaft 23 carries a sprocket 30 at its front end which drives the heated-roll sprocket I1 and the friction-roll sprocket 23 through a sprocket chain 3|. The variable speed reducer has the usual control knob 32 by which the speed of the output shaft may be varied as desired.

A supply roll 33 of strip material such as paper impregnated with a substance such as propylene glycol and wound about a bobbin or spindle 34 is placed in the machine, the spindle resting in notched bearings 35. The impregnated strip is threaded, as shown, under the idler l9, over the heated roll l1, under the idler 20 and to the take-up bobbin 36. The bobbin 36 is received in The temperature of the metal ertical slots 31 cut in the bearing plates H and i2 and is urged downwardly into contact with the friction roll 2| by springs 38. Frictional driving connection between the take-up roll and the friction roll 2| is thus established. The takeup bobbin may readily be removed from the slots by bending the springs 38 out of alignment with the bobbin and withdrawing the bobbin upwardly.

The vaporizer is provided with a removable protective cover 33 having an opening 40 exposing the upper half of the heated roll [5 and the web passing thereover to the atmosphere so that vapors are driven from the web directly into the space to be treated.

Operation of the vaporizer shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 is believed to be obvious from the foregoing description. In brief, the heating device I8 is energized and, as soon as the heated roll [5 has reached the desired temperature, the motor 24 is started to drive the heated roll and take-up roll, the speed being adjusted as desired by means of the knob 32. Impregnated webbing is withdrawn from the supply roll 33 and fed over the heated roll and to the take-up bobbin. In passing over 'ie heated roll, the substance absorbed in the web is vaporized and transferred to the ambient atmosphere. It will be seen that the frictional connection between the takeup roll and the friction roll 2! permits slippage to occur in order to compensate for the increasing size of the roll during operation.

By providing a charge comprising a strip or web of bibulous material impregnated with a vaporizable substance but substantially free from any excess of unabsorbed liquid, it will be seen that not only are the disadvantages of liquid reservoirs entirely eliminated, but dependable and close control of the amount of substance evaporated is readily maintained, as, in the absence of free or unabsorbed substance to be vaporized, the substance will be uniformly distributed throughout the bibulous material so that the amount vaporized will be strictly proportional to the rate at which the impregnated material is supplied to the heating zone.

The modified vaporizer shown in Figs. 4 through 6 employs a heated conduit through which the impregnated strip is drawn, as distinguished from the heated roller used in the apparatus of Figs. 1 through 3. A base in the form of a box is provided for the modified vaporizer; this box provides a housing for the machinery which drives the strip advancing mechanism. A removable cover 5| is also provided for protecting the rolls of impregnated absorbent strip material.

The conduit through which the impregnated strip is drawn has a pair of vertically extending spaced parallel plates 5252' bent slightly apart at the bottoms to provide a downwardly flaring bottom opening. The conduit is also open at the top. The sides of the conduit are closed by pairs of vertically extending rolls 53-53 and 54-54.

' Rolls 53 and 53 are journaled in the plate 55 forming the top of the box 50. These rolls are tangent to each other and to the plates 52 and 52 respectively; they are idler rolls between which the impregnated strip 56 is drawn in the direction of the arrows shown in Fig. 6. Rolls 54 and 54' are similar in construction and arrangement. Roll 54 is a true idler. Roll 54 as distinguished from this is a driven roll and is provided with a shaft extension 51 depending below the plate 55 and carrying the sprocket 58.

In the flared bottom portion of the conduit, there is supported a cylindrical heating device 59, preferably an electric heater, the temperature of which may be regulated by a conventional control device (not shown). The heating device is spaced sufficiently from the sides of the conduit to permit air to circulate over the heater and up through the conduit by convection induced by the heater.

A supply roll of impregnated webbing 60 is mounted on an idling spindle 6| journaled in the plate 55. The strip 56 is threaded between the rolls 5353, carried across the heated conduit, threaded between rolls 5454, and passed to a take-up bobbin 62. The shaft 63 of the take-up bobbin is journaled in the plate 55 and projects thereunder. On the lower end of shaft 63 there is mounted a sprocket 54 that is free to rotate with respect to the shaft. Shaft 63 also carries a disc 65 that is welded or otherwise fixed to the shaft. Driving connection between the sprocket 64 and the disc 65 i established through springs 66 fixed to the sprocket and frictionally engaging the under side of the disc.

Means for driving the roll 54' and the takeup bobbin 62 takes the form of a motor 67 connected through a variable speed gear reducer 68 to a drive sprocket 69 which drives sprockets 58 and 64 through a chain 69. The gear reducer has the usual control knob for varying the output speed.

In operation, the impregnated strip 56 is threaded through the vaporizer as explained, the heater 59 is energized, and, as soon as the current of air passing upwardly through the conduit and in contact with the strip therein has reached the desired operating temperature, the motor 68 is started to continuously draw the strip through the heated conduit at the rate set by adjustment of knob 10. Roll 54' provides the primary tension for drawing the strip through the heated conduit and the friction drive for the take-up bobbin assures that the used strip will be properly Wound, notwithstanding variations in take-up roll diameter and without imposing breaking stresses on the length of strip extending between the roll 54' and the take-up bobbin 62. Vapors pass out of the top of the heated conduit, as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 4, to the space to be treated.

A variant of the vaporizer and charge in accordance with the invention is shown diagrammatically in Fig. 7. In this device, the charge consist of a pack H formed by folding a length of impregnated strip material in zig-zag configuration. The strip is continuously drawn from the pack under an idler roller 12, over the heated roller 13, and under a second idler roller 14 by means of a driven friction roller and coopcrating pressure roller I6. The roller 15 may be driven from a powered pulley 11 through a cooperating belt 18 and driven pulley 19, the latter being directly connected to the roller 15. The expended or depleted strip issuing from between the rollers 15 and 16 may be torn off and discarded.

I claim:

1. A vaporizer comprising a frame, a pair of horizontally spaced, vertically disposed, parallel plate member carried by said frame, a pair of vertical rollers rotatably mounted adjacent to one side of said pair of plate members, each of said rollers being in substantial contact with a vertical edge of one of said plate members and in rolling contact with each other, a second pair of rollers similarly constructed and arranged in cooperation with the other side of said pair of plate members, said plate members and said rollers defining a vertical conduit having a top opening and a bottom opening, an electric heating element positioned adjacent to the bottom opening of said conduit, a rolled strip of absorbent material impregnated with a vaporizable substance and free from unabsorbed vaporizable substance, means mounting said rolled strip in position to be passed between said pairs of rollers and horizontally through said conduit, a strip take-up spindle rotatably mounted in said frame and posi- I tioned to receive depleted paper strip from said conduit, said strip being trained between said rollers and wound about said spindle, and mechanical means for driving one of said rollers and said spindle.

2. A vaporizer as defined in claim 1 wherein said means for driving said spindle includes a friction clutch.

FREDERICK W. SCI-INIITZ.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 302,073 Wheeler July 15, 1884 794,166 Erbsloh July 11, 1905 852,423 Dressler et a1 May 7, 1907 1,334,697 Gendron Mar. 23, 1920 2,147,757 Schneider Feb. 21, 1939 2,333,124 Robertson et al Nov. 2, 1943 2,365,931 Benger Dec. 26, 1944 2,472,992 Szekely June 14, 1949 2,523,372 Jennings et al Sept. 26, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 486,530 Germany Nov. 1939 

